Schedule conflicts with my beta delayed this one a bit, he was moving. Apologies!
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"This means someone is talking."
'This means someone is thinking to themselves.'
This means it's a flashback.
*This means it's a sound effect!*
{This means I'm speaking in a different language!}
Angel in a Gilded Cage
The train ride had only been a couple hours, but it felt much more than that. It wasn't easy to enjoy the scenery whizzing by when you know you're technically breaking the law. Izuku tried entertaining his friends in conversation the whole time, lest they be left in silence with nothing but their worrying, treacherous thoughts to fill the void.
If there was any solace, it would be that everyone was as nervous as he was about what they were about to do.
The only member of their little band that seemed unaffected by the gravity of the situation or the consequences they were likely to face by the end was Baha, who seemed much more preoccupied with constructing a house out of cookies and biscuits she had taken from the hospital, humming to herself gleefully.
If only he could relax that easily.
Mercifully, the journey had been uneventful all the way to Kamino. The other passengers were too on edge from the current crisis to recognize some of the students of the now victimized class sitting among them.
"We made it!" Kirishima stated, leading the group out the station doors.
"Wow, it's the middle of the night, but it's so bright!" Uraraka said, her eyes scanning the flashing signs of the various stores, clubs, bars and restaurants.
"Woo! Party city!" Baha bounced excitedly, throwing her arms in the air. "You guys think we'll have time to hit up a karaoke bar after we save Huggaboo and Feathers?"
"Baha-san, quiet down and try to focus! We don't have time for games!" Iida hissed, getting a nod from the blonde.
"Whoop! Sorry! Time to pull out the Serious face! HM!" She scrunched up her face and gave the nearby pedestrians untrusting glares, said strangers make a wide berth from the odd girl. Koda stood behind her, bowing in apology to the passersby.
Kirishima clapped his fist into his palm. "Alright! Break out that tracker Yaoyorozu-san, we're moving out!" He cried, moving to charge down the street before the heiress grabbed the back of his shirt.
"Hold it! We can't just run through the streets all haphazardly! We are in enemy territory right now, which means we need to take care not to be seen. The League all know what we look like now."
Izuku gasped and shielded his face with his crossed arms. "You're right! This is a stealth operation!"
"What are we going to do then if we can't search the streets freely?" Iida muttered.
"W-Well… it just so happens that I have an idea!" Yaoyorozu stated, a slight shimmy in her step as she pointed towards a flashy discount store.
"Aww yeah! Siiick!" Izuku crowed, doing his best Present Mic impression. That's the look he was going with, dressed in a blue jacket and pants, violet shirt and gold chains on his neck.
'Mom would be freaking out right now, thinking I turned into a delinquent or something.' He stroked the fake goatee on his chin while fixing the orange sunglasses with white frames on his face. 'Then again, striking out on our own doesn't scream model students.'
"No! Not like that! You gotta hang your head some more! Really lean into the "UH!" of the line!" Kirishima advised.
Taking his word for it, Izuku did as he was told, banging his head as he let out another: "AW YEAH!"
"There you go! You look hella tough bro!" The redhead gave him a thumbs up. It had been twenty minutes ago since the team entered the store and now all of them were hardly recognizable in their new outfits.
Kirishima was in an outfit of a matching dark red jacket and pants, a polished silver belt over his plain white undershirt. He had let his hair down and stuck some fake horn accessories in there too.
Iida was technically disguised, but only in the way he could be, wearing black suspenders with yellow and red straps over a white shirt. He had slicked his hair all the way back and found a tiny, pencil mustache to put on his lip.
Todoroki had gone the furthest lengths so far, having stuck a black wig on his head to conceal his recognizable dual hair color. Combined with the black vest, pants and light dress shirt, he looked like a bartender, if teenagers were allowed to peddle alcohol that is.
Yaoyorozu had apparently taken a few lessons from her internship at Uwabami's modeling agency if the pink dress, chintzy gold bangles, necklace and blue shades were any indication. She had even styled her usual ponytail with a can of hairspray, making the strands silky and wavy.
If Izuku didn't know better, he would have been intimidated by Koda's appearance. The larger boy was fit into a black leather jacket and pants, silver chains and spikes fitted on his belt and shoulders. A red bandanna was tied over his pointed head as best it could and he wore dark sunglasses to hide the terror and shame in his eyes. He looked like a thug, minus the obviously anxious tremble in his legs.
But the most drastic transformation in Izuku's opinion had to be given to Uraraka. When he first saw her, he almost mistook her for Jiro thanks to the black leather jacket over a pink striped shirt, shorts and fishnet stockings that showed way more of his friend's skin than he was accustomed to seeing and boots. She had even gone the extra mile to use makeup, lightening her skin to a pale pallor and applying black lipstick.
All together, they looked like a throng of party animals, great for blending in with the city nightlife.
"M-My!" Iida muttered incredulously at her while straightening his bow tie. "I can hardly recognize you Uraraka-chan."
She laughed awkwardly, running a hand through her hair. "I-Is it too much? I just figured that, well, people all know me for being nice and cute, s-so maybe if I dress tough, no one will think it's me?"
"And Jiro-chan came to mind?"
"I-I-In the best possible way!" She squeaked. "Please don't tell her!"
"I won't, if we ever cross the Yūei threshold ever again." He promised.
"Yo! Wait up! It's hard to run in these heels!" Baha called out as she hobbled out of the store. She was certainly the most flashy out of the entire group, with the magenta jacket with a white fur lining, short blue skirt decorated with stars, yellow feathered boa looped around her neck and hair pulled into pigtails. Her outfit was so gaudy, she could be seen from space.
"Why did you buy those if you don't know how to run in them? We might need to run away afterall." Todoroki asked bluntly.
Baha looked insulted and turned up her nose. "Hey! If Miss Moneybags over here is paying, I'm having as much as I can! Also, daaamn girl, lookin' fiiine!"
Yaoyorozu gave her a stern look. "T-Thank you, but I'm still upset at you for your deception with that hand drill."
"Aw, cmon!" Baha whined.
"Thank you for paying by the way Momo-chan. Even if I had my wallet on me, I doubt I could afford too much." Uraraka said to the taller girl, getting a wave back.
"It's no trouble at all. We needed proper disguises afterall, I am more than willing to give my all to the mission."
"Still," Todoroki looked at her. "Couldn't you have just used your quirk to make these? Then you wouldn't have needed to spend money at all."
"N-N-No! That w-w-w-would had been against the law!" She stammered, cheeks turning red. "I-If I used my quirk like that, making whatever I wished, I would be introducing fabricated goods into the economy, depreciating the value of legitimate articles that others have spent time and money to produce! I will not tank the economy because I wanted to be frugal!"
"Huh, I suppose." Todoroki nodded. Off to the side, Uraraka leaned over and whispered in Izuku's ear.
"I think she just wanted to go to the store. Probably too rich to ever go there. So cute!"
Izuku blushed at the close proximity and the idea that the prim and proper Yaoyorozu was playing through one of her childlike fantasies. "S-So cute." He agreed.
"N-Now, if we are finished here, let's get to the task at hand!" Yaoyorozu stated, pulling out the tracker, a handheld device that resembled a walkie-talkie. She fiddled with the knobs and pressed a button before pointing down the street. "This way!" She declared loudly.
"Psst! Momo-chan!" Kirishima hissed, gesturing to the crowd around them, a few people giving them odd looks. Yaoyorozu jolted. "T-This w-way to the c-club I mean!"
"Let's get this party started, muthahumpas!" Baha cheered, jumping up and looping over Koda and Kirishima's arms, leading the startled boys and the group away in the indicated direction.
Having Baha in front turned out to be a blessing, her rowdy behavior helping sell their act, as Izuku was sure it wasn't his head banging and the exaggerated swagger he put into his walking. Some pedestrians looked their way, but it was for the briefest of moments before they were dismissed for the carefree revelers that they were making themselves out to be.
They did get some unwanted attention however.
"Heeeeey girls!"
"W-Wanna (hic!), ditch these guys and (hic!) party with us?" A couple of inebriated salarymen whooped as they leaned on each, sauntering in their way.
Iida stepped forward, holding his hands up. "I'm sorry sirs, but I'm afraid that none of us have any interest in joining you. May I call you a taxi to get you home?"
One of them scoffed. "We ain't talking to you, buddy! We're talking to the-"
"Oi!" Uraraka moved to the front, placing a hand on her hip and fixing the two men with a glare. "We don't want to hang with you. Get lost." She spat. Even though she was shorter than both of them, the fake punk made the drunks feel like they had shrunk down and were regarded as loathsome filth.
They shook and swallowed their nerves (and the contents of their stomachs). "S-Sorry! Our mistake!" They said in unison, inching their way around the teens and continuing down the street.
The group stared at Uraraka in awe and fear, who seemed just as surprised as they were. Koda was especially terrified, hiding behind Kirishima.
"W-Wow… you're really getting into character h-huh?" The redhead joked, failing to hide the tremor in his voice.
Uraraka looked down at her hands. "Did… did I do that?"
Baha moved in front of her and lay her arm across the girl's shoulder. "By the power invested in this Tina, I hereby bestow upon you the title of "Badass B Not to be Fucked With"! Be wary not to abuse this power, for it is a slippery slope to destruction and shame upon your adult self."
Todoroki cleared his throat and turned to their guide. "Are we still heading in the right direction?"
Yaoyorozu pulled out the tracker again. "One moment… we're getting closer. We need to take the next right and-"
"Hey look! Isn't that Yūei?!" The whole group froze as a voice called out nearby.
Izuku began to sweat. 'Crap! Have we been recognized?! Better ham it up!' He decided, turning his head.
"Ah-um, aww yea…" His line died in his throat as he noticed no one was looking at them. Rather, the crowd's attention had been drawn to a new screen on the side of a nearby store building. His breath caught.
"I-Is that..?" Iida gasped.
"Principle Nezu and Aizawa and Vlad-sensei." Yaoyorozu confirmed softly.
Their eyes didn't lie. It was the diminutive principle and the hero course home teachers, dressed in suits and bowing their heads to the camera. Aizawa himself was almost unrecognizable, with his usually messy hair completely combed down and tidy.
"In the wake of the recent abduction of two students belonging to the first year hero course of Yūei academy, the school's faculty have finally presented themselves for public scrutiny and gave a public apology." The newscaster announced and audio swapped to the scene, the sound of murmuring reporters and clicking camera shutters echoing through the air. The three educators rose from their bow and Aizawa leaned forward to the mic.
"It is with great regret and shame that we are here today. Thanks to our lack of security, many of our first year students, our school's pride and joy, have been harmed. For all of our claims to being the foremost academy for the next generation of heroes, our failure in preventing the villain's attacks have put them at risk and caused no small amounts of grief to the public. For this, we are deeply sorry and humbly request everyone's forgiveness." He explained.
"NHA!" A reporter in the audience stood up. "The recent raid on your facilities marks the fourth occasion that the League of Villains have come into contact with your students. This time, some were injured and even abducted. To the families that have been affected, what measures have you taken to prevent these incidents?"
Izuku grit his teeth at the stony expression on his teacher's faces. There was no point to asking these questions, as they had been answered already in other interviews after USJ. This was just to rake Yūei over the coals.
Nezu leaned forward. "We have reevaluated the campus's security systems and have taken extra precautions against further infiltrations. We are prepared for every occasion."
"Pff, the hell is that flimsy excuse?" Someone in the crowd muttered.
"Yeah, they said that already and it still happened."
"These kids aren't safe at all."
Izuku swallowed, the air started to feel heavy as more and more doubts and jeers rose from the crowd.
"Ain't that funny..?" Shigaraki hummed, his scratchy voice light with amusement, his red eyes drinking in the screen as the teachers were barraged with more pointed questions. "The people are supposed to love their heroes… yet now they are getting torn apart."
He turned to the rest of the room, to the two teens strapped to their seats across from the television.
Angel pulse buzzed in her head, her markings glowing absently from her swirling emotions. Mostly fear at sitting in a room full of villains, lounging about on the bar, against the walls as their leader gave his speech. Wilhelm was in the corner with an oil stained rag wrapped around his head, giving Bakugo a dirty look.
The rest was concern for her teachers, who were being berated for something out of their control.
"It's like they've completely forgotten everything their protectors have done for them. And for what? Because they failed to protect a couple of kids? They're still human after all… shouldn't they be allowed to drop the ball once in a while?" Shigaraki chuckled, his voice slightly muffled from behind the severed hand covering his face. "It must really be stressful to be a hero these days, huh?"
Angel squared her jaw. She really did hate the mockery present in Shigaraki's voice, how he ridiculed the people she admired. Again, the parallels between him and that man were drawing closer together.
Out of the corner of her eye, she noted how Bakugo's expression mirrored her own, subdued with frustration simmering under the surface.
"It's a pitfall of their own making." One of the other villains, a young man in a mask reminiscent of Stain and a scarf stated. He appeared to be half lizard, judging by the green scales and his snout. "Once one starts to perform valorous deeds in exchange for wealth and fame, they stop being heroes. That's Master Stain's wisdom!"
Shigaraki nodded for the assist. "The concept of doing good deeds for selfish reasons… a world that accepts and glorifies that falsehood… and punishes those who are misunderstood or want to be different. It needs to end.
You call us villains, we prefer visionaries. We see the world how it truly is and dare to change it. What makes a hero a hero, versus a villain? What is true justice? Following the laws even if said laws are unfair?"
He shook his head. "There is no freedom in this society. We are trapped in a prison of our own making, a flawed system that grinds the powerful, the true, people like us, under its wheels. And we want to break free."
Shigaraki leveled his gaze on Angel and Bakugo. "Don't you want to be free?" He stood up, approaching at a slow, lackadaisical pace until he was right in front of them. "I've felt the power you two possess, firsthand, literally in your case." He flashed the burn scar on the back of his hand. "You have so much at your fingertips. Aren't you tired of society telling you what you can and can't do with them?"
He trailed the flats of his fingernails along the markings on Angel's arm, her skin prickled at the feeling. "You in particular... I know what you are capable of now. You alone could topple any corporation or government, none of their secrets would be safe from you in this digital age. And even beyond the power you hold over technology, you could become an undisputed ruler of the world, a queen, if you just chose to be."
His fingers dragged up Angel's neck, forcing her to look him right in his eye. "You know that, don't you..?"
Angel craned her head away so she wouldn't have to suffer him touching her more than she needed to and frowned. "I've never believed m-my quirk was that good, personally. But I guess if so m-many people keep saying it, there might be a little bit of truth to that." She admitted." But queen of the world?" She snorted. "Even i-if I wanted to, I couldn't take over the world. What are you trying to sell me here?"
Her breath hitched when he pinched her throat with four of his fingers, holding it in the death grip that she had seen him use on Midoriya.
"What I'm selling is that you are more special than you realize. You've been stifled, suppressed… taught how to use your gifts according to what others think. A treacherous sense of modesty that was hammered into you by society, like your parents or your school. They all serve to guide you away from your greatest self."
Angel tried not to swallow at that. He was right in a weird way. Where would she be now, if he had let her flourish and grow alongside the rest of her peers?
She dismissed that line of thought. She would prefer to not entertain the notion that Shigaraki, a remorseless killer, would have a valid point. Rather, her mind had already been made up long before she came to Japan.
Angel sucked in a deep breath through her nose. Narrowing her eyes, she imagined his face there instead.
"That… is the single biggest pile of baloney I've ever heard!" She blurted out defiantly.
Her words bounced off the walls as the inhabitants remained silent, looking at Angel with expressions ranging from disbelief and amusement.
"What's baloney taste like?"-"I don't care!" The man in the black spandex suit bickered with himself in the back.
Shigaraki squinted down at her, his grip tightening slightly, getting a small hiss out of her.
"I'd consider my options a bit more if I were you… you're in a bad situation right now. Even if you weren't stuck in this chair, there isn't a chance in hell you could beat all of us. Would it not be easier just to take the smart choice here? I can feel how scared you are..." He muttered, his thumb pressing down on her pulsing jugular.
Angel pursed her lips. "There's nothing you can say to convince me to join you. You say that society made me what I am? That I've been misled into enrolling in Yūei?"
A little smile graced her lips. "That was the first real choice I ever got to make for myself in my entire life. If you really think you can convince me to join you just because you have it in your head that I'm some kind of superhuman locked in some cage, then you don't know me at all. Special?" She spat out the word with disgust. "Being special has never done me any favours."
"Yeah, I am scared of you." She glared as hatefully as she could. "But I've met worse."
Shigaraki's eye twitched, in anger? Angel didn't know, but she prepared herself to feel his pinky on her skin, accompanied with the sensation of disintegration.
'Will it hurt?' She fretted.
The room held its breath as it waited for his reaction.
"Hah… knew that wasn't going to work." Everyone blinked when Shigaraki simply sighed and shook his head. Relinquishing his hold on her neck, she coughed a little as he leaned back.
"Sensei told me to try recruiting you for the reasons I just told you… even if I don't see it."
'Sensei?' Angel pondered.
"Honestly… I still don't even get what the hype is about with you. Didn't think for a second that you would actually join us, but he insisted… that old man…" He grumbled petulantly, like a child complaining about their irritating parent. "He told me that no harm should come to you…"
He lowered his gaze and met her own. His eye tightened in delight. "But Sensei isn't here right now."
Angel stiffened. 'Oh God, here it comes!' She tried to keep her brave front on, but it was rapidly crumbling with either peek at his hands. "I-I-If you're going to do it, just get it over with already!"
"Oh… I'm not going to do it." The pale man stated and turned to her left.
Angel followed it to Bakugo and her eyes widened.
"Bakugo-kun? Are you serious?!" She gave a laugh. "Do you really think he'd join you? You must be crazier than I thought! Right?" She looked at him, expecting his usual snark to dash Shigaraki's hopes.
Said boy was looking oddly pensive, a strange look of defeat on his face.
Her smile fell.
"B-Bakugo-kun?" Angel stammered, getting no answer.
"Bakugo? You get what I said before right? About being on the right side and winning, yeah? Are you really going to let this girl speak for you?" Shigaraki asked, getting the blonde's attention.
'No. He… he wouldn't!' Angel thought, unease trickling in at the lack of a refusal on his part. He wasn't seriously considering it, was he?! After all they talked about in the closet? How he had dedicated one hundred percent of his being to becoming the best hero?
He wouldn't just throw that away just to escape death, would he?!
Shigaraki continued. "You're strong… shouldn't you be allowed to do what you wish? If you think so, join us! Kill this waste of space and we'll welcome you with open arms..!"
Angel glanced at her fellow captive again. He didn't say a word.
Then slowly, he nodded.
It felt like someone had dumped a bucket of ice over Angel's head. She couldn't believe it.
"You… why..?" She croaked.
Bakugo offered no response.
"Dabi, get him out of those." Shigaraki ordered the young man at Bakugo's side, the one with the spiky black hair and more piercings in his face then Angel could count.
She continued to watch in disbelief as the restraints were unlocked, one by one. Now freed, Bakugo stood up and rubbed at his wrists as he stepped away from her and in front of Shigaraki.
"No… you wouldn't do this!"
"Too late girl." Shigaraki chuckled. "You had your chance to be at my side… now I'll just be taking you off the board." He leaned into Bakugo's ear. "Try not to get her all over my wall."
Angel began to hyperventilate, a few pops of smoke coming from her former classmate's hand.
This couldn't be happening. She understood that the threat of death could push people to do desperate things, but him of all people?!
Bakugo turned to her, small fiery cracks echoing in his palm in preparation for the blast that would take her life. His head was hung low, hiding his eyes from sight.
There was no arguing with the facts, she was about to die by the hand of a person she thought was her friend.
Her eyes began to bead.
'Guess this is what they felt back then.'
She turned her head away to brace for the end, but then her eyes halted on something behind her classmate, behind Shigaraki and the rest of the villains.
Wilhelm, leaning against the wall and watching on it just as much interest as the other spectators.
Angel blinked. That didn't make any sense. He was under orders to get her out of the League's hands alive. Here she was, about to get murdered by her classmate and yet he wasn't doing anything.
Her eyes widened and shot back to Bakugo, his hand cocked back.
If Wilhelm wasn't moving to prevent Bakugo from killing her, then that meant-!
The boy sneered and whirled around!
*KABOOM!* Flame and sound erupted from his grasp right into Shigaraki's face, blowing him back several feet! The various members of the League cried out in shock. While they were too stunned to react, he spun back and grabbed the box encasing Angel's hands. A small explosion and he tore the smoking bits apart before going for the locks holding her in place.
Angel smiled in relief as he loosened the straps. "I-I knew it! I knew you wouldn't do it!"
"Yeah, I just wanted one good shot on that stupid bastard. Wouldn't shut up, getting on my nerves!" He spat, pulling the last of her bindings off and helping her to her feet. "We're not out of the woods yet though." He turned back and the two of them squared off against the villains before them. "Get ready you pussies! Last I checked, our combat authorization is still in effect!"
"Clever kid, played with the cards given to him." The villain with the glasses and long hair complimented.
"Good! I really didn't want Angel-chan to get hurt before we got the chance to play again!" Toga giggled.
Angel tried not to shake at that and held her gun-hand out and ready to fire should any of the villains try to get close.
But if there was one thing that definitely unnerved her, it had to be Shigaraki. He hadn't said anything or even moved since he recovered from Bakugo's surprise attack. Just staring down at the floor, at the hand that normally obscured his face, not that she could see it with his hair in the way.
"Shigaraki-sama! Don't lose your temper!" Kurogiri implored rushing to intervene, just to be stopped by a raised hand.
"Everyone calm down…" He ordered, bending over to pick up the dropped appendage. "These two are too important to lose…" He stated, gingerly placing it back over his face.
Kurogiri blinked in surprise. "You… you weren't going to-"
"Let him kill her? Nah… I just wanted to see where he stood." He stood up and regarded the two of them. "It's a real shame… I don't know what's so important about her, but him I could have actually used."
Bakugo flipped him off. "Eat shit!"
"Y-Yeah! What he said!" Angel joined in.
"Well if that's a bust… we've run out of options…" The leader hummed and gave his neck an idle scratch. "The heroes are hot on our trail and we don't have the time to "persuade" you two…Sensei…" He turned to the television, the screen shattered and flooded with pixels after the blast. "…a little help?"
'So this "Sensei" of his was watching the hole time? Is he the real leader of the League?' Angel wondered, but not without taking her eyes off of her potential attackers.
"Kurogiri, Compress, get ready to capture them again. We'll figure things out from there."
The two villains nodded and started circling around to either side of the heroes. Angel kept her hand aimed steadily at the mist villain.
"Ready?" She muttered quietly, getting a bloodthirsty grin in response.
"I was born ready!"
But before anyone else could move, there was a knock at the door at Angel and Bakugo's back. Everyone turned their heads.
"Hello? Pizza delivery!"
'Pizza?'
*BOOM!*
The left wall exploded inwards as a familiar, blonde muscled blur smashed through, showering the room with rubble and throwing several of the villains to the ground!
"All-Might!"
"Quick, Kurogiri! Warp us out!" Shigaraki cried.
The mist villain began to swirl, but abruptly paused.
Another shape leapt through the hole.
"Lacquered Chain Prison!" Cried a hero in a black skinsuit and a wooden mask. His arm rapidly grew and split off into several tree branches at once, spreading out and slamming all the villains against the walls!
"Kurogiri?! What's the hold up?!" Shigaraki yelled at his subordinate, just to freeze.
"So… beautiful…" The mist villain sighed, his glowing eyes unfocused and trailing off into the distance.
"Hello boys~!" A husky voice called out, a curvaceous form getting lowered into the room by Kamui Woods, a form that made Angel break into tears.
"Moxxi!" She cried with joy.
Her guardian smiled, but didn't tear her sparkling eyes away from her target. "Hold that thought Sugar, I'm a little busy right now!"
On the far end of the room, Wilhelm struggled against the branch holding him in place, the wood started to creak under his cybernetically enhanced muscles. "You! I'm going to rip you limb from-" He snarled, just for there to be a loud crack as a rubber bullet bounced off his forehead.
"I didn't forget about you, you robotic son of a bitch!" Moxxi sneered, smoke curling from the barrel of her ruby red, snub nosed pistol.
Dabi hissed, blue flames leaking from his body. "You really think wood is going to keep me-?!"
In a blink, a yellow streak shot through the opening and delivered a powerful kick to the back of his head and he slumped over.
"Presumptuous, ya whippersnapper!" A diminutive, aging man in a yellow costume and cape chided as air shooting from the bottom of his feet sent him flying to the other side of the room. "Take a load off, you've got a lot to answer for."
"Thank you for the assist, everyone!" All-Might laughed triumphantly, posing in a low crouch. "The young star Kamui Woods, the wise veteran Gran Torino and the wonderful Mad Moxxi! I could not have asked for a better team! There is no escape for you, dastardly League of Villains! Why, you say?"
His bright smile shone and at once, Angel felt peace.
"FOR WE! ARE! HERE!"